Fajitas, Thai Style…

This chicken mince dish, kind of Thai larb-ish, is adapted from a that’s life! reader recipes compilation, and I served it with tortillas and Greek yoghurt, to make it a fajita meal. Yum. The coconut milk gave the chicken a definite Thai flavour.

Soooooo quick, the whole thing was cooked and ready to serve in 20 minutes. Definitely one to rival Jamie with his very quick meals – including chopping time it was less than 30-minutes from start to finish. A weeknight winner, and especially good at this crazy time of year!

Thai Chicken Fajitas

2 tbsp olive oil

500 gms chicken mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

165 mls low-fat coconut milk

¼ cup sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or wok. Add chicken, garlic, chilli, onion and lemongrass, and saute, stirring often to break up lumps, for about 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortillas and Greek yoghurt (optional – add shredded lettuce as well).

Serves 2

Happy Summer fooding!

You Say You Want a Revolution….

Layer upon layer upon layer

A quinoa one, that is. Quinoa has been a super food winner for the last couple of years, and I’ve been on that bandwagon since living in Chile, where it has always been a commonly found staple food, and for good reason – it tastes great, is easy to cook, is suitable for those with wheat allergies, and of course is extremely good for you.

There is a plethora (I just wanted to use that word cos’ it’s a cool one!) of quinoa cookbooks around these days, and I eagerly scour through every new one that comes in at my work. The recipe below is adapted from Cabbage Crockpot Casserole, from Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming’s new cookbook, Quinoa Revolution.

I don’t usually go in for crockpot recipes that involve a heap of pre-preparation – I do like to just throw it all in – but I had plenty of time on this day so was happy to brown the mince before putting it in the crockpot, and it was simple enough to do. Everything else is just layered over the top and then it is switched on and ignored for the day.

I don’t feel the passata on the top added anything really, so next time I will just leave that top bit out – it doesn’t really mix in through the rest, and just stays as a layer of tomato “paste”, when you serve it. Just tinned tomatoes is enough I think.

Layered Beef Casserole

1 tbsp olive oil

500 gms minced beef

1 brown onion, cut into wedges

4 slices rindless bacon, fat cut off, roughly chopped

3/4 cup red quinoa

1 green capsicum, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 green cabbage, roughly chopped

cracked pepper, to taste

400 gm can diced tomatoes

700 ml bottle bought passata

Heat olive oil in a large pan or wok, and saute the beef for a couple of minutes, stirring to break up lumps, until lightly browned. Drain in a colander and if it is a fatty mince, rinse through with hot water.

Place meat in crockpot. Place all other ingredients on mince, layered in the order given.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

If desired, serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, or salad and garlic bread.

Serves 4-6

I don’t think this wins a lot of points for looks, but the flavours are great.

Happy Fooding!

Quorn Pad Thai Noodles

This easy Quorn based Pad Thai dish was not quite as flavoursome as it could be, and the egg made it look a bit gluggy – not like the perfect bowl of rice noodles featured on the website! It is also not of the same WOW Factor quality as the yummy Salmon Pad Thai recipe that I absolutely adore making. It was satisfactory enough however. With the addition of some extra chilli or other sauces, maybe some chopped bok choy, and perhaps 1 egg instead of 2 next time, it is a great dish for after work when you just want to collapse in a chair with a bowl of something and a glass of wine.

Actually, the glass of wine goes without saying, no matter what the meal…..

I used cashews instead of peanuts, as I don’t like peanuts much. My local Coles supermarket has this great new thing called Scoop & Weigh, where you measure out your own nuts, fruits, seeds etc and weigh the little bag on a self-serve scales, then print out your own barcode sticker, just like the girls behind the deli! I’m having fun buying lots of bits & pieces, just cos’ I can! It’s so cool, just like playing shops when I was 6…..

Source: http://westender.com.au/coles-gets-a-market-style-facelift/

I added extra spring onion to the dish, and lots of coriander, for which a quantity wasn’t specified. I also added some lime zest, mainly because I paid $2 for one lime so I was determined to use every bit of it. Why do I not have any friends with a lime tree in their garden….

Happy Fooding!

Quick Lamb Curry

This simple lamb mince dish is based on one from Simple Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey – an old book that I came across at work recently, with loads of terrific and EASY Indian dishes.

There is no rocket science here; the key is in the use of fresh spices – get your mortar & pestle action on!

You could serve this as is, in a bowl, or make it a bit more glamorous with rice, tortillas or naan bread, raita, and maybe a side dish of sauteed mushrooms or mashed potato!

Minced Lamb With Peas

2 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds, ground

1 tsp coriander seeds, ground

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tomatoes, chopped

4 tbsp low-fat Greek yoghurt

500 gms minced lamb

cracked pepper, to taste

1 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup frozen peas

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger; stir until lightly browned.

Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper, and stir for 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes and yoghurt. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes have softened, stirring often.

Add the lamb and cracked pepper. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, breaking up all the lumps.

Add the water and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add lemon juice and peas, return to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.

Serves 4

Happy Fooding!

Parmesan + Mayo + Chicken = Ranting Chicken

I am fond of the Ranting Chef blog, and whilst I don’t make many of the recipes, which tend to be very meat-oriented, I do try the occasional one. This easy chicken dish appealed when it arrived in my inbox this week, as I was about to leave for work and realised I had all of the ingredients on hand. All I had to do was thaw the chicken breast fillet in my freezer, which turned out to be 2 fillets in fact – no problem, that meant food for the next day as well.

Mine didn’t turn out as great to look at as the Ranting Chef’s, which looks much more “fried” than mine did – but it still tasted okay and very tender. I think it could have done with more parmesan though, as I couldn’t really taste that very much. The chicken itself didn’t dry out, as sometimes happens with breast fillets, and it was easy enough to throw together after work without being time-consuming.

I received a gorgeous bottle of Petra cherry balsamic vinegar from Margaret River, for my recent birthday, from the gorgeous Lucy at work. I drizzled some of it over some fresh asparagus (so cheap and in season right now!) and snow peas, along with a splash of olive oil, and grilled that to go with the chicken. Delicious side dish.

Happy Fooding!

Beef Stroganoff

I’m eating meat again at the moment, although not much, and I couldn’t resist trying this delightfully simple crockpot Beef Stroganoff recipe from Best Recipes, on the weekend. I love this recipe site, and this beef dish will now be a firm favourite. Not only was it easy, but it tasted fabulous and the consistency was perfect – rich and creamy just like a stroganoff should be.

I did it on LOW so all up it was 8 hours cooking time – the 5 hours they say at the top of the recipe is if you cook on HIGH.

This definitely serves 6 as the recipe states, and could actually serve more if you have it as part of other dishes – great for a party buffet. I didn’t bother cooking pasta and green beans, as suggested, because I knew it would be very filling and there’s only me to feed – I just had a little black rice with mine. I have lots of leftovers in the freezer now!

Happy Fooding!

Shhhhh….The Kids Will Never Know It’s Not Rice

At the risk of totally boring you…..yes it’s cauliflower again! But does it look like it?? Not a bit.

I like to think I’m pretty much up there with the latest food trends, products and “in things”, but it was made clear to me last week (thanks Jane!) that I have missed the cauliflower rice phenomenon, completely and utterly.

I picked up a large cauli for $1.37 on Friday, so after scouring the e-world for many variations, this is my version of “fried rice” without rice. You can really use this in any way that you would use rice, and add anything you like. I really wanted the zing of fresh lemon juice/zest, plus a bit of pizzazz from chilli (not much, just a hint), and it worked beautifully, in fact I scoffed a bowl of this and thought omg how moreish is this.

Super healthy, versatile and soooooo easy if you have a food processor. As long as cauliflower stays cheap this will be a new staple food in my cooking. Plus you can freeze it in sandwich bags for future use, when cauli is in season.

There are many step-by-step photos around, of how to make cauliflower rice – just google and you’ll find plenty of recipe ideas. If you don’t have a food processor, use a cheese grater – works just as well but is more labour intensive and slower.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

1 large head of cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp chilli paste (I like Masterfoods)

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp vegetable stock

1/2 cup frozen peas

(and next time I’ll add some chopped coriander – just didn’t have any to hand this time)

Cut the cauliflower into florets (make sure it is completely dry)  and place in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped – should be rice sized grains.

Heat olive oil in a pan or wok. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Serves 6 as a side dish, or if you are having it on its own as a bowl of deliciousness, serves 3.

This is a perfect dish to serve fussy kids who like rice but won’t eat vegies – they’ll never know it’s not rice! You can make it plain without adding the onion etc too – just saute for 7-8 mins until “al dente”.

Happy Fooding!

 

Cooking With Herbs – An Old Fave

Chicken, mushrooms & vegie snags

This terrific and easy marinated chicken thigh fillet recipe is from another great old Women’s Weekly Cookbook from yesteryear – Cooking With Herbs. My copies of all of these old WW books are very food-stained, falling apart at the seams and generally well-loved! When I first bought this particular one, coriander was one of those “weird” herbs that you had to be innovative and daring in your food tastes, to use! Now of course it is a staple flavour in most kitchens, and deservedly so.

I have usually made this in a wok, but this time decided to rev up the barbie, as I had just given it a good clean (anticipating Summer, even though it’s still only mid-Winter – ever hopeful, I am). As you can see, I threw on a lot of food for just one person, but I find if I’m going to heat up the barbie, I have to make it worthwhile, so I just cook a heap of stuff and then have it as leftovers on sandwiches or in salads etc.

The fresh herb/garlic/ginger odours as the chicken cooked, were lovely – a good aroma coming off the bbq is always a delight.

Coriander Ginger Chicken

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp crushed fresh ginger

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp castor sugar

cracked pepper, to taste

6-8 skinless chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of fat

Add chicken to combined remaining ingredients in a bowl or marinating dish. Mix well and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Cook chicken in a single layer either in a wok, a medium frypan or on the bbq, for 5-7 minutes each side until cooked through. Pour over any leftover marinade during cooking.

Serves 4.

Mulling Over This One….

This Mulled Pork recipe looked excellent on the face of it – anything that calls for a whole bottle of red wine can’t be bad! I did enjoy it; however, the meat was too dry, particularly with the leftovers the next day. The flavours were fabulous and my flat smelled amazing – lots of citrus and red wine and cinnamon and cloves in the air – it was quite Christmasy in fact!

The dish is adapted from a recipe from More Than a Schnitzel, a German cookbook recently acquired by my library. I will make this again quite happily, but use beef instead of pork – slow cooking for 8-10 hours is just too much for pork, in this instance. Venison would probably be good with these flavours, but might also dry out I suspect.

Mulled Pork

1 kg diced pork

750 mls red wine (I used a Merlot)

2 1/2 tbsp brandy

juice and zest of 2 oranges

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp brown sugar

6 cloves

1/4 cup raisins

1 tbsp beef stock powder

4 apples, sliced

3 onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

cracked pepper, to taste

1 tbsp cornflour

Place all ingredients except cornflour in crockpot bowl, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours (or leave overnight in fridge).

Place bowl into crockpot base and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. About an hour before serving, mix the cornflour with a little cold water and blend to a smooth paste. Add this to the meat and stir through.

Serves 4-6

Happy Fooding!

Veg, Veg & More Veg

I have been lucky enough to be given two separate lots of freshly picked vegetables in the last 10 days – from a friend who works for a distribution centre that is the go-between for markets gardens and supermarkets. Wow, it has been great. Above is the first lot I was given – the second lot was slightly different and included Brussells sprouts, sugar snap peas, carrots, apples, pears and avocadoes as well as more of the above!

Of course I’ve made the most of this bounty, looking for new and old veg-related recipes to use everything up. I made a batch of chargrilled capsicum, which has turned out better than usual simply because the capsicums are so uber-fresh and sweet.

I made a big pot of vegie soup, and one night I threw a heap of vegies on to the bbq, basting them with soy sauce and grilling to perfection. OMG the mushrooms cooked like this tasted divine!

I subscribe to an ezine called Weekend Notes, which sends me a daily roundup of what’s happening in and around Perth, as well as fun activities for kids, easy recipes, restaurant/cafe reviews etc. For a morning tea at work last Friday I made Zucchini Hummus, from Weekend Notes, which came out really well, although mine actually looks a slightly different colour and not as smoothly processed, as the original. A great alternative to a chickpea hummus, and low fat as no oil added apart from the natural oil in the tahini. Mmmmm I love tahini! I made a loaf of fresh bread in the bread machine (thanks machine, for waking me at 4.15am with your loud whirring……) and cut this into squares to serve the hummus with, instead of the usual crackers.

I still have plenty of vegies left, so am thinking something quiche-related and something curry-related might be happening in my kitchen later this week. And I need to find something to make with the apples and pears.

Happy Vegetable Fooding!